Occasionally, I get asked to comment on brand-related issues
by various media. Below are some interviews that have been compressed
in QuickTime (and Flash for the older ones) to stream from the web. I'll add the more interesting ones
as they happen. As a bonus, you can also watch how my hair gets a little grayer over the years. Get the latest Flash player here.

FOX: Selling Obamacare and why nobody is buying in.Obamacare is tough enough to understand without all 50 states trying to tell their own poorly structured stories. They're going to need more than medicine to cure this disaster.
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NBC Today: The NFL's brand of thieves, thugs & murderers.Brands are about leadership, whcih explains why the lack of leadership is so prevalent in the NFL -- and why their ranks are so thick with thieves, thugs and murderers.
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FOX: Online ratings services: Don't trust them, game them!Bottom line is that everything online can be gamed, especially ratings services like Yelp. As long as you have lots of friends or a big family, you can get a great rating, too!
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NBC Today: Paula Deen has too many fans to be dropped.Just as I reacted to the misfortunes of Don Imus and Martha Stewart, the stupidity of corporate America won't keep Paula Deen down. Her dopey managers, might....
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CNBC: The GAP's old story: New ads, no brand strategy. Yawn.Just because they change management and ad campaigns more often than you and I change socks doesn't mean the GAP is any less clueless. But the market always seems to fall for it.
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NBC: Sesame Street's brand is as strong as they come.Sex scandals can't hurt Elmo or any brand that so strongly advocates for kids. This isn't about Sesame Street. It's about a gay guy who loves the brand as much as we all do-- and nothing more.
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FOX: Hey, brand CEO's: Man up and stop whining about Obamacare.CEO's are the worst when it comes to being spokesmen for their brands -- especially when they have no brand strategy. Blaming it on Obamacare doesn't help, but don't try telling that to legends in their own minds.
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FOX: Is Obama overexposure hurting his message? Yup.Even the President can learn a few things about brand messaging. Lack of clarity and overexposure are just two of the hard lessons.
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CNBC: New Jersey, er, Brooklyn Nets miss their shot at a brand.Well, this is what happens when you let a rap star and a Russian billionaire handle branding for a basketball team....
QuickTime link here

CNN: The cure for the Komen Foundation's brand.The Susan G. Komen Foundation lost its way - and its leadership. What they really need to cure their ills is an articulate brand strategy.
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CTV: Is the shine coming off Apple's brand? Um, yeah.Apple was once the upstart rebel. Now it's becoming the Microsoft of cool -- and lack of brand strategy is the reason why.
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CNBC: Apple's iCloud has more risk than reward.Apple has a bad history with service products and iCloud probably won't be any differen. Oh, Apple will make it cool, but not necessarily good.
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MSNBC: Facebook riding for a fall: Look what happened to MySpace.A brand with no direction is at the mercy of its public, which is why Facebook is among the most hated brands out there.
QuickTime link here

CBC: Is the
Old Spice campaign really sustainable?Sure it's funny and brilliantly executed. But at the end of the day, it still smells like Old Spice. The question is if it's sustainable.
QuickTime link here

FOX: Obama, BP and the oil spill: Is he the right messenger?Everyone wants BP's head, but is Obama the guy to go after it -- or is he really Jimmy Carter, trying to do too much by himself?
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FOX: Is Tiger Wood's sex life going to kill his endorsements? Nah.If anything, golf is going to become the new macho sport. Scandal didn't kill Clinton, Martha Stweart or Don Imus. Tiger will do fine.
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FOX: Apple and the health of Steve Jobs.Okay, so they called me "Ron." The truth is that the brand is stronger than the man, anyway....
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CNBC: Viagra's
New TV Spot Goes LimpIs there anything Viagra can do right, other than,
you know, what it does when you pop one? This latest advertising
effort explains why Viagra is having trouble firming up its flaccid
sales.
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CNBC: Does viral marketing really work?99.75% of the time it doesn't. but if you know what
you're doing, you can get response -- and sell through rates -- from
3% to 9%.
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CNBC: Saturn
cars: The little brand that couldn't. Saturn could have been a great brand...if only they
could get their branding and advertising act together....Sheesh.
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CNBC: Playboy's
Brand in Macao: "It's more than pretty girls."If you can handle the visual distraction of gorgeous
Playboy bunnies, Rob points out why Playboy's brand is in trouble,
even with their new Macao operation.
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CNBC: Celebrity
Gossip: "Viewers will watch, but rarely click."Watching video and gossip about celebrities is like
watching a train wreck -- who's going to click on an ad because they've
seen home video of David Hasselhoff as a fall-down drunk?
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CNBC: "Superbowl Ads Not Worth It "Superbowl commercials are God's way of telling shareholders
that the company has too much money .
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CNBC: "Losing
Sleep Over Ambien Side Effects?"Five or six fat people blame a drug for their obesity.
Might play for Jay Leno, but there's no brand damage here.
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CNBC: "Anheuser Busch Beyond Beer."The King of Beers is worried about losing its throne.
The question is whether they know how to stay on it.
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CNBC: "Why
Did American Express Axe Tiger Woods?"Do celebrities help or hinder a brand? If Tiger Woods
couldn't do it for American Express, can anyone?
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FOX: Do
brands or price matter when giving gifts? If the point of giving gifts is to show how much
you care, why would you cheap out at Wal-Mart? Especially in a weird
economy, brands matter more than ever.
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CNBC: "Howard Stern or Oprah? Sirius or XM?"Sirius or XM? Does it matter? Not really, satellite
radio isn't going anywhere any time soon, although the personalities
will make a difference.
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FOX: Will Olympic protests over China hurt brands?How many times do you have to see boycotts and protests
fail before people understand they don't affect business?
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